This is definitely a workplace romance where the majority of the plot takes place at the workplace. There is some workplace politics and job duties etc. The FMC was well developed but I felt like the MMC could've been a little more developed, he fell a little flat for me. The plot outside of the character's romance was a little lacking.

3.5/5 stars

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

I read this all in one day! I loved this love story. The characters were endearing and sweet. Alex was a golden retriever embodied, which just made me root for him the entire time! I loved the supporting characters as well. And, the relationship had all my favorite tropes. It was engaging and endearing. I couldn't put it down! This is the perfect summer, beach read.

4.95/5 ⭐️

"'I knew you'd be worth it. Every email. Every glare.'
'How do you know I wasn't working you up?'
'Don't think I'd have minded.'"

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Workplace Romance
Forced Proximity
I Have A Secret
Asian Hero <3


Short Story:
Love Interest is a near-perfect rom-com that made me laugh, cry, and fall in love (as a good rom-com does). Not only did it give me exactly what I wanted in a romance story, but it also gave me the empowering "women in business" vibe that I love so much.

Long Story:
(Minimal to No Spoilers)
I picked up this book because ever since The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas I've been craving a good enemies-to-lovers workplace romance and I'm so grateful that Clare Gilmore did not disappoint me. Throughout the entire novel (but most especially when they are enemies) Alex and Casey had such perfect banter that I was internally screaming.

Casey is an extremely motivated heroine who has her own ambitions, dreams, complex relationships, fears, etc. She's just generally everything I love in a protagonist. She's not a perfect person, but she does know what she values and the scathing business commentary that comes with that fuels my love for the book all the more.

And Alex! He's just as perfectly damaged as Casey is and an Asian hero to boot (as an Asian-American woman I'm always in love. Now might also be a good time to discuss the general and overall diversity of the book which I was so happy to see.) He's also just generally a kind and caring male protagonist and I easily found myself falling in love with him as a character.

The romance between these two extraordinary characters does not disappoint. Between the already-discussed banter, the cute inside jokes (absolutely essential IMO for any good rom-com), and the pet names they were already great. Add in working through their issues in an intelligent way and I was in love with their relationship.


I received an advanced review copy of this book from Net Galley for free and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

What's really great here is that - you know how there's that point at which someone hides something or misrepresents themselves in a way that's clearly planted to create tension in the plot at some later point? Okay, well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it actually makes sense this time. Like, that's totally the way a reasonable person would behave. The main characters in this story are inherently honest, and flawed, and human, and sweet, and deeply, deeply endearing. So.

What a fun read! This was such a fun, engaging, and delightful story! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I felt like their relationship was honest and full of growth. As a teacher with a LOT of students reading romance, this will be one that I recommend, because it had the fun of an enemies to lovers with the growth of two people figuring out just how to take a misunderstanding and turn it into a true relationship.

I liked the characters Casey and Alex, their love story and their family and friends.

I wasn’t as enamored with all the corporate intrigue.

All in all a good debut novel from Clare Gilmore.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 25%, as much as I wanted to love this read I just couldn't get into it. The writing for me personally get a little scattered and I found it hard to get through.

This debut book by Clare Gilmore was so fun to read!

I think the enemies to lovers was done pretty well and though it didn’t start off great it did progress and get more to my likings throughout the middle to end of the book.

I really enjoyed the characters in the books but did ultimately feel like there was something missing!

Overall this was an enjoyable book and I would recommend this to anyone who likes a light enemies to lovers romance!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Clare Gilmore and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! It is much appreciated!

*Spoilers Ahead*
Love Interest is a fantastic debut! This enemies to lovers romance has a weak start, but is absolutely absorbing by the end. It is a fast-paced read. There is a lot going on in this novel, including several subplots that I with could have been better detailed. (These include a widowed father who is suddenly gay?, a series of social media recordings that go nowhere, an ex that is introduced as significant but weirdly not detailed, etc. )

The protagonist is… plucky. I love that she makes tough decisions and does things that scare her. She has a cast of supporting characters that make the storyline rich. And she does some introspection and self-evaluation that lead to growth over the novel.

Overall, this is a solid 3 star read for me, and I will recommend it! Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

I think this book is good but not particularly great and didn’t bowl me over. It’s hard to put my finger on why that is though. I liked the setting of a magazine publisher and I really liked the love interest, Alex, but I was underwhelmed by Casey, the main character.

I’m not sure she felt very distinctive or interesting to me. I also think I expected something more like The Hating Game where it was a true enemies to lover sistuation. This was more of a one sided short term enemy sistuation so it felt like there was a lack of dramatic tension.

Having said that, it was a fast read and somewhat enjoyable, but I think overall I’d expected more.

I really liked this workplace romance. Casey was a great female lead. I loved that she embraced her quirkiness and her love of numbers (I loved the question about her favorite Excel formula!) I also really liked that she never changed her goal throughout.

On the male lead side, Alex's development was well written. I wanted to shout at him at times. You could tell something was going on and just wanted to point it out to him. But overall, a great lead. I really enjoyed his and Casey's relationship. The banter was great and it all felt very well done.

All in all, really enjoyed this cute, fun, number filled read.

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC!

The blurb from the publisher of Love Interest by Clare Gilmore describes the novel as “sparkling” and that is not hyperbole. I was engaged at the first page when we meet Casey, a financial analyst at a large publishing company. She has applied for a job within her company and finds out she did not get it. The man who does will eventually become the love interest but not before she hates him for the perceived nepotism of his hiring.

Why I loved this book: sizzling and entertaining banter, but not overly cute.
Descriptions of the workplace that are interesting. The large publishing house has a variety of magazines, so we see restaurant reviews and food discussion, but even the financial work that Casey is involved in is made to be entertaining, often because of her very realistic but entertaining colleagues. Descriptions of places such as Nashville, New York, London, and Seoul are seamlessly integrated into the story. And, finally, the main characters have their own personal growth journeys throughout the book beyond their romance. Self-acceptance and seeing others as they are without hero worship are also themes.

This is the first published novel by Gilmore, but the writing is so good and polished that I would never have guessed. I look forward to future novels by this author.

Oh man did this book give me a rollercoaster of emotions but I enjoyed every single minute of them. I would love this as a movie to watch over and over. I loved the dynamics between all the characters and really enjoyed the dialogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early ARC. As I am my own person, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great book by a debut author! Unique story with interesting characters. Very well written, I would definitely read another book by this author!

Absolutely loved following this love story as the two main characters grow into their own. They both face some challenging situations that they learn to deal with together.
Ideal for anyone who enjoys office romance or enemies to lovers

love this romance and finding oneself and trying to help others in the business and family issues . I loved that they slowly formed a relationship and had great friends and making videos

Love Interest follows a lead who works in the finance department of a media company. It follows the changes in her relationship with the guy who got the job she applied for who also is the former CEO's son.

I like love stories, because they're usually light and fun and have happy endings. This book felt much more in-depth than many are. The characters have layered histories that make them interesting and fun to read about. I also related to a lot of it.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance. I think you'll be pleased with the quality of this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

LOVE INTEREST is about Casey, finance whiz at a Buzzfeed-esque media company in New York. She loses a promotion to Alex, a charming newcomer, only to discover that he's also the board chairman's son. Things get heated, sparks fly, and hijinks ensue.

I almost dropped this book around the 15-20% mark because the opening just wasn't doing it for me, but I'm happy that I pushed past it and kept going, because I do think LOVE INTEREST does find its way after a clunky beginning.

At first, the writing style did more telling rather than showing, and I felt that it tried hard to be modern/quirky/relatable to a "millennial" audience. Right from the start we're introduced to a long lineup of co-workers, friends, etc., nearly all of whom are introduced as their [race] [sexuality] [Ivy League university they attended], which read like an oddly elitist diversity bingo. I also wasn't sold on Casey and Alex's early interactions (and this is as someone who *adores* enemies-to-lovers romances).

However, I really enjoyed the hidden depths in Casey and Alex's characters, and found them to be quite endearing both together and on their own. The pace also picked up and the stakes felt surprisingly high for a workplace rom-com, keeping me invested from the middle of the book onwards. I appreciated that the themes of the book were a bit more complex than I'd anticipated based on the opening, and similarly appreciated Casey's journey of finding herself and her place in the world over the course of the book.

Total delight - wonderful debut! Truly terrific characters, pacing, and plot. Looking 100% forward to Gilmore's next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed Casey’s and Alex’s love story. The tension in the beginning of the novel as both characters worked to figure each other out was excellent. I loved the whole cast of characters and appreciated the diversity. Can we have Miriam’s and Brijesh’s story next, please!? Well done first novel - look forward to reading more from Ms. Gilmore!